WASHINGTON, DC – The abrupt decision by the United States National Institutes of Health to slash funding for overheads to the nation’s research centers and universities has provoked a fresh outcry among leading US researchers, global health experts and even some Republican politicians  – with leading one expert saying this latest move could “seriously jeopardize” […] Continue reading ->
WASHINGTON – The 27-member Senate Finance Committee voted to send Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Health and Human Services (HHS) nomination to the full Senate floor.  The 14-13 approval came along party lines, despite RFK Jr’s often heated exchanges with Republican and Democratic Senators during two confirmation hearings last week. Kennedy weathered accusations of profiting from […] Continue reading ->
WASHINGTON, DC – Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr’s Senate confirmation as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary faced fresh obstacles on Thursday after Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said he “wasn’t sure “ he could vote for someone “who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially vested in […] Continue reading ->
Last week’s nomination hearing of Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shed little light on how he would chart the future of PFAS and other “forever chemicals” regulation. President Donald Trump began action on his pledges to deregulate environmental protections, promote fossil fuel production, and withdraw from the […] Continue reading ->
Climate change, unplanned urbanization, sprawling cities, and the El Nino effect all converged to make 2024 a “historic” year for dengue transmission. With increased opportunities for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes–the insects that carry dengue– to breed, cases reached a record 12.7 million cases in the WHO’s Americas Region, nearly three times more than in 2023. This translates […] Continue reading ->